Charlie Donlea

In this gripping new thriller from #1 international bestselling author Charlie Donlea, a TV news host sets out to uncover the truth behind a brutal, decades-old murder... Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience's attention. Her latest story--a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal--is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner's office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence. Emma Ford has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won't be complete until she can clear Victoria's name. Alone she's had no luck, but she's convinced that Avery's connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria's DNA. But the twisted puzzle of Victoria's private life belies a much darker mystery. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery's own secret past--one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .

Twenty Years Later

A chilling murder in a prestigious prep school is at the heart of this riveting new novel from acclaimed author Charlie Donlea, featuring forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and her psychologist partner, Lane Phillips. Inside the walls of Indiana's elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced. But in the woods beyond the manicured campus and playing fields sits an abandoned boarding house that is infamous among Westmont's students as a late-night hangout. Here, only one rule applies: don't let your candle go out--unless you want the Man in the Mirror to find you. . . . One year ago, two students were killed there in a grisly slaughter. The case has since become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house--to kill themselves. Rory, an expert in reconstructing cold cases, is working on The Suicide House podcast with Lane, recreating the night of the killings in order to find answers that have eluded the school, the town, and the police. But the more they learn about the troubled students, the chillingly stoic culprit, and a dangerous game gone tragically wrong, the more convinced they become that something sinister is still happening. Inside Westmont Prep, the game hasn't ended. It thrives on secrecy and silence. And for its players, there may be no way to win--or to survive. . . .

The Suicide House

Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls--one who returns, one who doesn't--and the forensics expert searching for answers. Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods. A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It's a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole's disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue--that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected. But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for. PRAISE FOR CHARLIE DONLEA AND SUMMIT LAKE "A gem of a mystery, fast‑paced and suspenseful." --Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read." --Booklist "An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last. There's a bright future ahead for this newcomer to the thriller genre--definitely a talent to watch." --Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author "Donlea keeps readers guessing throughout. The whodunit plot is clever and compelling . . . for fans of nonstop mysteries with a twist." --Library Journal "A swift, outstanding debut. Summit Lake engrossed me then knocked me cold. Charlie Donlea is a superb storyteller sure to damage the bestseller lists." --Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author "With a soaring pace and teasing plot twists, Charlie Donlea's debut mystery is like a cool drink of water with a twist of lemon. It's refreshing to find a book that has such a well-developed plot and excellent writing to back it up." --BookPage

The Girl Who Was Taken

Filmmaker Sydney Ryan creates a documentary series that helps to clear a woman wrongly convicted of murder, but further investigations into the woman's past convinces Sydney that she she may have been terribly wrong.

Don't Believe It

Forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case . . . In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies or clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigations appeared to unmask the killer. Then Angela disappeared without a trace. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder. But the cryptic file Rory finds in her father’s law office suggests there is more to the case. Making one startling discovery after another, Rory becomes helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. As she continues to dig, even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging . . .

Some Choose Darkness

The Survivor

A law student's murder becomes the full-time work of an investigative reporter in a picturesque town in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.

Summit Lake

"Excellent...Donlea tells a propulsive tale." - The New York Times The New York Times Best Thrillers This Season | E! News Recommended Books | Overdrive Biggest Books of the Month Fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover won't want to miss this thrilling new suspense novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Taken! Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past... Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience's attention. Her latest story--a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal--is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner's office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence. Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won't be complete until she can clear Victoria's name. Alone she's had no luck, but she's convinced that Avery's connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria's DNA. But the twisted puzzle of Victoria's private life is just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery's own secret past--one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . . Accused of a brutal murder, Victoria Ford made a final chilling call from the North Tower on the morning of 9/11. Twenty years ago, no one listened. Today, you will. "Breathtaking pacing and clever plot twists." --Publishers Weekly "An entertaining thriller...surprises lurking around every corner." --Kirkus Reviews "A superb storyteller." --Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

Carlos Szlak

Summit Lake, uma pequena cidade entre montanhas, é esse tipo de lugar bucólico e com encantadoras casas dispostas à beira de um longo trecho de água intocada. Duas semanas atrás, a estudante de direito Becca Eckersley foi brutalmente assassinada em uma dessas casas. Filha de um poderoso advogado, Becca estava no auge de sua vida. Atraída instintivamente pela notícia, a repórter Kelsey Castle vai até a cidade para investigar o caso. E logo se estabelece uma conexão íntima quando um vivo caminha nas mesmas pegadas dos mortos. E enquanto descobre sobre as amizades de Becca, sua vida amorosa e os segredos que ela guardava, a repórter fica cada vez mais convencida de que a verdade sobre o que aconteceu com Becca pode ser a chave para superar as marcas sombrias de seu próprio passado.

A Garota Do Lago

When you're living a lie, can you trust anything? Ten years ago, Alexandra Quinlan was the prime suspect in the massacre of her entire family. Her face was on every television show and front page, and she was given a nickname by the media: Empty Eyes. Now, Alex Armstrong has reinvented herself and devotes herself to securing justice for others. But when Laura McAllister, a young student journalist, disappears just as she's about to break a major story about sexual assault and cover-ups on her college campus, Alex is drawn into a new case that will threaten the life she's built. As Alex digs into Laura's disappearance, she realises that there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. As different as the crimes may appear, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be... An explosive and unputdownable crime thriller you won't be able to put down. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Mary Kubica and Karin Slaughter.

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller

Those Empty Eyes

Long Time Gone

"Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end." – Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later and master of modern suspense is back with a brilliantly twisting, skillfully plotted thriller perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Colleen Hoover’s Verity. Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself—her name, her appearance, her backstory. She’s no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation. It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister. Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children. Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . . . “Engrossing…not to be missed.” – Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

A Chilling Novel of Suspense with a Shocking Twist

Ten years after a teenage girl's disappearance, a bizarre confession breaks open the cold case in dangerous ways…and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again in the masterfully twisty new psychological suspense novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

For fans of Riley Sager, Anna Downes, Alex Finlay, Stacy Willingham, and Karin Slaughter.

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. Her body was never found, and the case went cold, but the echoes of Callie's disappearance still linger.

On the tenth anniversary, Ethan Hall—a former renegade detective turned doctor—is tapped to reopen the case. Ethan left law enforcement to escape his demons. But when his old partner makes a death-bed request to get the case off his conscience, Ethan reluctantly agrees to reexamine the evidence.

Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. No one is more invested than Lindsay Larkin, Callie's high school best friend. Now a psychologist and the architect behind a wildly successful online counseling platform called The Anonymous Client, Lindsay has publicly and relentlessly pursued the truth about what happened to Callie.

Amid a sweltering heatwave, and just as Ethan's investigation gains momentum, a new client signs in to Lindsay's online portal and makes a devastating anonymous confession: "I killed Callie Jones, and I need your help to forgive myself."

Lindsay's business and reputation depend upon keeping her clients' privacy, so she funnels scant clues to Ethan hoping he'll pick up the trail. But when Ethan's investigation leads to another missing woman, he realizes there's more to Callie's disappearance than anyone imagined, including ties to his own dark past that some are willing to kill for....

Guess Again

If you loved THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, don't miss this sensational suspense thriller, that will keep you guessing to the very end . . . Her truth is only half the story . . . Megan McDonald is a high school senior when she disappears from the small town of Emerson Bay. Miraculously, after two weeks held captive, she escapes from a bunker hidden deep in the woods. Now, one year on, Megan is a national celebrity thanks to her bestselling book, Missing. It's an inspiring story - except for one inconvenient detail. There was a second girl who was taken. Her classmate Nicole Cutty. Livia Cutty is a forensic pathologist. Every time a Jane Doe arrives at the morgue she wonders if it's her missing sister. However it's the body of a young man, an apparent suicide, who finally offers the first clue to Nicole's fate. So Livia reaches out to Megan for help. But Megan knows more than she's revealed. Flashes of memory are coming together - and they are pointing to something darker and more monstrous than anything her chilling memoir describes.

Girl Who Was Taken, The

Deixada Para Trás

You know her name. You know her face. You know THOSE EYES… Ten years after she was exonerated for murdering her entire family, the girl the tabloids called “Empty Eyes” is the only one looking for the truth in this propulsive thriller from internationally bestselling author Charlie Donlea. "Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end." – Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself—her name, her appearance, her backstory. She’s no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation. It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister. Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children. Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . . .

A Gripping and Brilliant Novel of Suspense

Charlie Donlea's chilling new suspense thriller is the story of two women, separated by forty years, yet both inextricably linked by a series of horrific murders that took place in 1979. "She wondered if the mysterious woman had chosen darkness. Or if darkness had chosen her." As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together details others fail to see. And while cleaning out her late father’s law office, she takes a call that plunges her into a forty-year-old mystery. In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind - until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, which uncovered his identity. But before police could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder – the only killing the DA could pin on him. But a cryptic file found in her father’s office suggests to Rory there is more to the case than anyone knew. Soon Rory is helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. Drawing connections between the past and present, she uncovers dark truths about the reclusive woman, her own father, and the man called The Thief. But not even Rory is prepared for the terrifying secrets about to emerge... ‘A bold new writer on his way to becoming a major figure in the world of suspense’ Publishers Weekly ‘Definitely a talent to watch’ Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

The Woman in Darkness

'On the other side of that wall are the woods, and in those woods is a forgotten path that leads to the infamous boarding house.' Beyond the manicured campus of Indiana's elite Westmont Preparatory School sits an abandoned boarding house, popular among students as a late-night hangout - and recently the scene of a dangerous game gone wrong. One year ago, two students were killed there in a grisly slaughter. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why three survivors of that terrible night have returned to the house to kill themselves. Well-known criminal profiler Dr Lane Phillips, hired as an adviser on a popular podcast about the tragedy, knows this is the perfect puzzle for his partner Rory Moore, a forensic reconstructionist with an uncanny ability to spot the details others miss. But the more Lane and Rory learn about the school and its students, the more convinced they are that the game hasn't ended. And for its players, there may be no way to win - or to survive . . .

Charlie Donlea

About

Books

Join the club